Did you know that Google has a Model Your Town Competition? Here you can create a 3D version of your community and share it with the world on Google Earth. Now, how do you become a designer and builder in one go? You turn to Google SketchUp of course.

But Google SketchUp has other earthly day to day uses too. From deciding seating plans for a party to designing the chair that will seat your guests or designing anything from a car to a spaceship; if you can think in three dimensions you can realize it with Google’s free 3D software.

Then you can model for the [NO LONGER WORKS] Google contests. But to get there you need to get on the SketchUp learning curve. Maybe these free Google SketchUp tutorial resources can help to put you on it.

It’s always best to go to the guys who made it in the first place. Especially, if they have all the information that takes you from a newbie to an expert. You can opt for instructor-led, hands on training classes at authorized training centers. But when we are talking “˜free’, you should point your mouse at the Video Tutorials section and the Self Paced Tutorials that let you learn SketchUp at your own pace.

The self-paced Google Sketchup tutorials are downloadable SKP files of 3D models which open up in SketchUp and help you recreate it through a series of steps. Start with the Introduction to SketchUp file. Then there are 61 video tutorial files arranged according to your skill levels. You can also subscribe to Google’s Official SketchUp Video Channel on YouTube for more video uploads.

If Google is home, then Sketchucation.com is the Mecca. Beginners, hobbyists, SketchUp aces, all make this a happening meeting place. The website is not only about SketchUp educational information, but also discussions, interviews, trends, and downloads. The SketchUp tutorial index is marked clearly for beginners, intermediates, and advanced users.

As you get into each stage, you can also narrow down your learning by other categories like Author, Level, Application, and Type. All the chatter on SketchUcation is captured in its Community Forum.

Go2School hosts online private training classes and webinars for SketchUp learners. These are not free but a SketchUp user can join the site’s community as a free member and take part in the discussions. Also of value is The SketchUp Show on YouTube which takes you through tips and tricks for using SketchUp.

You have to buy the book from the stores, but you can help yourself to quite a few SketchUp video tutorials on the author’s YouTube channel. The videos accompany the instructions in the book, but on their own too they can take you through the concepts as they have voiceovers. There are about 62 videos in all; videos are also arranged according to the chapters in the book.

If you are plateauing on the SketchUp learning curve, check out this tutorial website for SketchUp professionals. In their own words it’s a tutorial site for the benefit of professional SketchUp users and CG artists. The tips, tricks, and tutorials cover different aspects of post-processing and much of the software used along with SketchUp. For instance, the knowledgebase shows the creative punch when SketchUp is used with other 3D rendering software like Autodesk 3D Studio Max, and even Photoshop.

These five websites will put you on the right track to master Google SketchUp. Google SketchUp is an easy tool to learn technically, its creativity that will take you to the next plane. If you really get into Google SketchUp, here’s a wonderful list of resources that’s like the Who’s Who on the 3D design tool.

Let us know about your SketchUp learning adventures and any great tutorial websites we may have missed.

Saikat is a techno-adventurer in a writer's garb. When he is not scouring the net for tech news, you can catch him looking for life hacks and learning tidbits. You can find him on LinkedIn & Twitter watching over the world.